Help With Antenna Selection Please

n8dogg59 · 7-Nov-2014, 12:28 PM

Hi everyone. I'm new to antennas and have done a good amount of research but still don't know very much. I've read around and looked at tons of posts but couldn't find a signal and question similar to mine so wanted to ask you experts in a thread.

Pretty much everyone is looking to get as many channels as possible. My goal is to cancel the cable, get CBS, FOX, NBC, and ABC, and save as much money as possible which means a cheap antenna. I'd like get the cheapest indoor antenna possible that would allow me to watch the 4 main stations. Do you think the mofu leaf or the mohu leaf 50 would work for me? Is there a better inexpensive indoor antenna that would work? Thank you in advance for the help.

The window/wall the TV is on faces east.
Here's my report http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wr...d243e7bf62612d

timgr · 7-Nov-2014, 12:46 PM

Where do you want to site the antenna? What is between that site and the stations - trees, concrete wall, another building? Can you point the antenna at the transmitters (ie due north?)

One possibility is to go to Walmart and pick up a pair of rabbit ears today. Connect them to your TV and see what you get. If they don't work out, you can take them back and get a better antenna either at Walmart or elsewhere - http://www.walmart.com/c/kp/indoor-antennas

n8dogg59 · 7-Nov-2014, 12:54 PM

Hi timgr. Thanks for the quick reply. There's pretty much open land all around the house other than short bushes and shrubs. It's a single story house in a spread out subdivision. The side of the house that faces north would not work for a TV, it's the kitchen, bathroom and a guest room. Really the only wall to put a TV on is the wall that faces east.

timgr · 7-Nov-2014, 1:01 PM

You don't have to put the antenna on the TV. Indeed, separated from the TV is better, as long as the cable does not get too long. Every antenna is directional to some degree, and you need to point the antenna nort. So a Leaf on a east facing window probably would not work well, but a pair of rabbit ears on a table pointed north might work ok. You have a lot of signal, and you don't want many stations. http://www.kyes.com/antenna/rabbitear.html

Here's another link you might find interesting - http://www.hdtvmagazine.com/columns/...the-window.php

n8dogg59 · 7-Nov-2014, 1:14 PM

I could definitely put something on a table next the tv and face it north if that would be best. I was thinking the leaf might work because it is multi directional so I wouldn't have to point it and it is fairly discreet. Do the multi directional antennas not work as well as a an antenna pointed in the correct direction?

timgr · 7-Nov-2014, 1:24 PM

Well, I wonder how much it is actually multidirectional and how much that is marketing talk. I think it's more that the Mohu is less directional than a dipole (rabbit ears), which would not be hard, since rabbit ears have a complete null in the axis of the elements. The Mohu site does not have much in the way of technical info, that I can find. Regardless, every antenna is directional to some degree, and best performance will be with the antenna pointed north.

Look at the other link I left for you - in that comparison, the $4 bowtie did better than all the other expensive indoor antennas.

Again, I suggest you go to Walmart and buy a pair of rabbit ears and a cable, and test reception at various locations in your house. You might be surprised how easy this is, if you get the right antenna location and orientation.

n8dogg59 · 7-Nov-2014, 1:28 PM

Didn't see the second link, thanks! I'm going to give the rabbit ears a shot first and see what happens. Thanks so much for all your help.